There are a couple of things that could be happening here, without getting too personal or knowing your scenario. First, let’s just acknowledge you’ve gone through a massive gear shift.
Getting into an industry after graduating is such a huge new chapter, both mentally and physically, and you’ve only been in the field for a short while. It does take a minute to find your feet and to get your body into gear. It’s a feeling I remember clearly. After two weeks at my first full-time gig after graduating, with daily 8.30am starts on the other side of town, I remember commuting back to my parents’ house on a Friday night, exhausted. My dad popped his head in before starting his evening shift, and I exclaimed how tired I was. He literally laughed and said, ‘What do you expect? This is work!’ and bounced out of the house to start his night at the family restaurant.
I’ve never forgotten that.
But here’s the thing, I loved my first job – and felt so lucky to have landed a great gig straight after uni. But I’m sensing your current set-up may not be aligning with where you want to be. Or your workplace environment may not be setting you up for success, especially if there’s a fear of failure brewing. They are both huge blockers to creative motivation. But when you’re in a space that’s aligned with your values where you can feed into the beliefs you stand for, that’s when the magic happens.
The groundwork to get there can be deep, and you need to give yourself permission and space to explore. But whilst you’re in your set-up, you’re gathering data. It’s showing you what does or doesn’t resonate with you. And that is all part of your career journey.
Here are a couple of things to help you explore change. A health check, so to speak. Across a typical week, are you regularly nourishing yourself with things that inspire and feed your creative soul? Or is most of your time now tending to someone else’s bottom line? Do a brief audit and examine how you’re carving up your schedule. I’d recommend reading my previous CCC response, where I share tactics on how to shape your week for meaningful work while balancing the day job that pays the bills.
Once you begin to identify what actually resonates with you, that’s when inspiration rises. Confidence grows to course correct, and so does the productive energy to actually create something that is meaningful to you. Don’t seek perfection when experimenting; slow down, don’t rush. And remember, you define your own barometer of creative success based on your own unique journey story. Start from there.